(Editor Note: This is the second post in a series on renewing the institutions of our federal government and democracy to ensure that it will endure. Looking at trends today with data, analysis of the present situation and recommendations for changes. Todays post focuses voting rights being made universal for all states without state manipulation of the voting process or access for all eligible voters.)

Photo: mashable.com

Over the past ten years 23 states have passed laws to restrict voter rights. Some states of have instituted cumbersome identification procedures, cut down pre-election day times to vote, added restrictions on mail in ballots, taken voters off the rolls for political reasons, and made voter registration more difficult.

Source: The Brennan Center for Justice – 3/5/19

Automatic Voter
Registration (AVR) is a concept gaining momentum in many states, the Brennan
Justice Center for Justice outlines their proposal in this way:

“First,
AVR makes voter registration “opt-out” instead of “opt-in”— eligible citizens
who interact with government agencies are registered to vote or have their
existing registration information updated, unless they affirmatively decline.
Again, the voter can opt-out; it is not compulsory registration. Second, those
agencies transfer voter registration information electronically to election
officials instead of using paper registration forms. These common-sense reforms
increase registration rates, clean up the voter rolls, and save states money.”

The plan would automatically use registration information at
a state agency for eligible voters to be registered to vote: for example, when
18 year old goes to the DMV for a driver’s license their registration
information would electronically be sent to the Secretary of State and their
name added onto the voting rolls where they live. Citizen interactions with other
state agencies where registration is required would follow a similar procedure.

The House of Representatives has just passed HR 1, a
comprehensive voting rights act making voting registration, rights, procedures,
identification, pre-election day voting, public funding of candidates, tax
returns by candidates for President and Vice – President, election day a federal
holiday and other innovations to bring our voting process into the modern age,
here is a summary of the bill from the House website:

The
bill also sets forth provisions related to election security, including sharing
intelligence information with state election officials, protecting the security
of the voter rolls, supporting states in securing their election systems,
developing a national strategy to protect the security and integrity of U.S.
democratic institutions, establishing in the legislative branch the National
Commission to Protect United States Democratic Institutions, and other
provisions to improve the cybersecurity of election systems.

This
bill addresses campaign spending, including by expanding the ban on foreign
nationals contributing to or spending on elections; expanding disclosure rules
pertaining to organizations spending money during elections, campaign
advertisements, and online platforms; and revising disclaimer requirements for
political advertising.

This
bill establishes an alternative campaign funding system for certain federal
offices. The system involves federal matching of small contributions for
qualified candidates.

This
bill sets forth provisions related to ethics in all three branches of government.
Specifically, the bill requires a code of ethics for federal judges and
justices, prohibits Members of the House from serving on the board of a
for-profit entity, expands enforcement of regulations governing foreign agents,
and establishes additional conflict-of-interest and ethics provisions for
federal employees and the White House.

The
bill also requires candidates for President and Vice President to submit 10
years of tax returns.”

Senate Majority Leader McConnell, denounced HR1
as a ‘power grab’, which seems dismissive of a way to effectively bring our voting
processes into the modern age and make voting more democratic rather than manipulated
by a controlling party in the state to enhance the turnout of their voters over
others in elections.

It is about time we had universal voting rights, processes and programs across all our states to ensure that voting is accessible by all citizens regardless of ethnicity, race, religion, or wealth.

Our next post: will focus on congressional districting, crucial to fair elections